Mon Dec 17, 2012 at 11:20:10 AM EST

"You know me. I am a conservative Republican who received the NRA's highest rating over four terms in Congress...There's no easy ideological way forward...I come to you this morning with a heavy heart and no easy answers. Still, I've spent the past few days grasping for solutions and struggling for answers, while daring to question my own long-held belief on these subjects. I've always taken the libertarian's approach to Hollywood's 1st amendment rights and gun collector's 2nd amendment rights, and I stood by those libertarian beliefs after Columbine, after Aurora, and after Arizona..."

"I knew the ending of this story because we've all seen it too often. I knew that day that the ideologies of my past career were no longer relevant to the future that I want, that I demand for my children. Friday changed everything, it must change everything, we all must begin anew and demand that Washington's old way of doing business is no longer acceptable."

"...our Bill of Rights does not guarantee gun manufacturers the absolute right to sell military-styled, high-caliber, semiautomatic, combat assault rifles with high-capacity magazines to whoever the hell they want. It is time for Congress to put children before deadly dogmas..."

"We've already given up too much ground across America. We've already ceded too many schoolyards, too many shopping malls, too many movie theaters, and too many college campuses. We must give no more ground."

"For the sake of my four children, and yours, I choose life and I choose change. It's time to turn over the tables inside the temple, and for the sake of our children, we must do what's right. And for the sake of this great nation that we love, let's pray to god that we do."

Republicans have been using guns as well some other issues to gain political office. As time as gone on they seem to want add more outrageous schemes to keep their support. I am not sure, but if there had not been these tragedies eventually they would want pass a law requiring everyone to obtain a gun. We almost have gotten there without such a law.

Harry Reid is the highest-ranking, pro-gun politician so far to say the time has come to look at tighter control over guns.

"As President Obama said last night, no one law can erase evil. No policy can prevent a determined madman from committing a senseless act of violence," he said. "But we need to accept the reality that we are not doing enough to protect our citizens.

Mark Warner, Joe Manchin, now Harry Reid. Please note that all the sitting politicians who have said they are open to gun law changes, so far, have been Democrats.

or these battlefield cnversions will fade away and nothing will change. Not only do I want to see the assault weapons ban re-instated, I would like to see guns, ammunition, and gun sales heavily taxed, and everyone who buys or has a gub have to buy a license (just like getting a driver's license).

Extended capacity magazines are a problem, especially when you are talking about a 100 round drum. I get the sense that people will settle for a compromise ban on extended capacity mags. I noticed that Scarborough mentioned them.

But let's face reality, this isn't just about extended magazines. The Newtown massacre, or Virginia Tech, could have been accomplished as easily with standard magazines. A standard magazine for a Glock 9 mm holds 18 rounds. A Glock 10 mm has a 15 round magazine. For a Bushmaster, the standard magazine size is probably 20 rounds, but let's say it is 10. It's easy enough to carry five loaded magazines if you are wearing trousers with military style cargo pockets.

So to me, a ban on extended capacity magazines alone isn't a serious attempt to address the problem.

The NRA meme of gun confiscation is so ingrained in the "gun owners" that they buy boxes of ammunition each payday. They shell out thousands for the M-16 style weapons, some buy multiples. Those who believe the NRA lie have cases of ammo stored away. If there is a fire in any of their homes the whole neighborhood may be in danger of rounds cooking off and shooting around for a mile.

There is no getting to these people that there is no gun control happening, as you can see by the run on the gun stores once again. If you listen to them the Kenyen, socialist, commie, fascist, Muslim, whatever, is sending the black helicopters to their homes to strip them of guns.

During the 2008 campaign I saw gun stores emptied of guns and ammo because the NRA said Obama was going to confiscate their guns at home so they were stocking up for the firefights to prevent that. At first the store owners thought it was great. After several months of this a few of them told me they were a bit nervous about their customers. A few of the nut cases were storing pallets of 223 ammo at their homes and hideaways. Scary people.

Mere parsimony is not economy. Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part in true economy.
Edmund Burke

For the last two days, The Roanoke Times has had a 1/2-page ad from a gun store in the area, with semi-automatic rifles on sale, along with 30-shot clips and a 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Nothing like using paranoia of testosterone-poisoned guys to pad a profit margin. It was obscene.

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